I love a creative promotion approach, and this one's absolutely beautiful. ABT is currently offering a delectable look at its upcoming 2010 production of The Nutcracker through a gorgeous online storybook that serves a multitude of purposes at once. It's a powerful marketing and PR piece that's also audience-friendly, and it's presented so beautifully that it's sure to have little girls sighing over the production weeks before it actually occurs.
The upcoming World Premiere ABT production of The Nutcracker was choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky, to the classic music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, and will take place from December 22 through January 2, 2011 at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. The cast includes Gillian Murphy, Paloma Herrera, Veronika Part, Cory Stearns, David Hallberg, Xiomara Reyes, Marcello Gomes, Herman Cornejo, Daniil Simkin, Yuriko Kajiya, Hee Seo, plus a supporting cast of talented dancers.
The storybook includes everything from an introduction to the show, to videos and biographies of its cast and crew, directions on attire and getting to the theatre, directions for cut-out character snowflakes, and even recipes for holiday sweets and cakes.
The storybook presentation elegantly spotlights choreographer Ratmansky, as well as the principal dancers, but it's also an especially lovely way to highlight the sets and costumes by Richard Hudson, a Laurence Olivier award-winner in 1988 for his sets for the Old Vic, and a Tony and Drama Desk Award-winner for his unforgettable sets for The Lion King. The storybook includes video clips on Hudson's work and approaches, and includes a terrific look at how the Nutcracker costumes are made. Jennifer Tipton is also featured, as a lighting designer who has received two "Bessies," a Laurence Olivier Award for lighting dance, two Tony Awards, two American Theatre Wing Awards, an Obie, a Drama-League Award, and more.
In 2010, ABT has also begun its new program entitled "ABT at School: The Nutcracker" -- a series of in-class workshops specially given to eight public schools in Brooklyn. The program includes two in-school visits with ABT Teaching Artists, as well as admission for the children to the dress rehearsal of ABT's World Premiere of The Nutcracker, and the workshops will prepare students from grades 3-6 for viewing The Nutcracker by teaching them dance warm-ups, as well as introducing them to the basic vocabulary of dance movement and movement phrases. For students who have never experienced ballet or formal dance, the program is a great way to introduce them to the magic of dance performance.
Meanwhile, I'm off to try that recipe for sugar cookies... and maybe I'll play a little Tchaikovsky while I do so.
Image courtesy of ABT
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